Burning Desires
by EMT132
Summary: Kelly Severide comes off as the typical ladies man, but that's only because no one has ever come close to comparing to her, his high school sweetheart. Mercedes loved Kelly more then anything, but he was dead set against her becoming a firefighter, and that had been her dream since she was a little girl. She's back in town, will the two rekindle their flame?
1. Prologue

"I just don't see what the big deal is Kelly! My dad is a firefighter, yours is, you and Andy are going to become one, what makes me wanting to be one any different?"

The short blonde practically yelled at the taller, muscular male who only sighed in frustration but it came out as sounding more like an enraged 'arg' sound. These two and been bickering about this back and forth for days, but the argument had never gotten this bad to where they were both almost screaming at the other.

"You just don't get it do you Mercedes? It's DANGEROUS! I don't want you to get hurt. If you want to be close to the action, do something else, EMT, Paramedic, anything, just NOT a firefighter." Kelly had tried and tried to get through to her a thousand times but it never worked, she was just as hard headed and stubborn as he was.

"But, I don't want to do anything else, I've wanted this since I was a little girl and you know it! If you can't accept that and support me, then I guess we are through." She said, her voice sounding strong although her heart was pounding on the inside, and she felt shaky. She knew Kelly wouldn't give in and this was probably going to be then end of their three year relationship, but she wanted to be a firefighter more then anything.

"Fine. I guess you are right. We're done." Kelly said fiercely, but on the inside he was crumbling. He didn't want to let her go, he loved her. He never told her that, but he did. This woman, while they are only 19 and 20 was the love of his life, his high school sweetheart, his best friend since diapers, his everything.

Shock flashed across Mercedes's face as he agreed that they were in fact finished, instantly tears sprang into her eyes, but she held it together not wanting to look weak in front of Kelly. She nodded, turning on her heels she hurried out of his house and practically ran to her car where she wasted no time in driving off.

Kelly watched her, in three years sure they had fought, but never this bad. And every time she tried to run off, he always chased her. But not this time. He was dead set against her becoming a firefighter, he hoped that after she had time to calm down that she'd realize he was right and she'd come back.

But that didn't happen, Mercedes ended up moving in with her aunt who lived two hours away. She still kept in contact with Andy because they were still best friends, but she cut off all commutations with Kelly even though it killed her too. She done what Kelly had wanted her to do first, by becoming a EMT, but then she chased her big dream and finished the fire academy being top of her class.


	2. Chapter 1

They were all lounging around the TV, Mercedes was laying across the couch, her black duty boots sit in the floor beside her as the rest of her fellow firefighters was just as engrossed in the current TV show as she was. That's when the tones dropped, "Attention Truck 105, Ambulance 95, Engine 80, and Squad 8 have a report of an apartment fire. 108 Hemlock Street." Like clockwork everyone sprang into action, as she slipped in her boots, not even bothering to tie them because she'd have to take them off to get into her turn out gear anyway.

She stepped in her other set of boots and grabbing the suspenders she pulled them up, before snatching her jacket off the truck, she slung it on before getting in the passenger seat of the Truck, otherwise known as Fightin' 105. She turned in her seat, her eyes landing on the new guy they had gotten just this morning to replace the truck member who had joined the squad.

"Candidate, you shadow me, anything happens I want you no more then arms reach away..You got it?" She asked the young man nodded, "Yes, Lieutenant." He answered respectfully,

"Oh and one more thing. Don't be a crow." She added, gaining a confused look from him, but a chuckle from all the other guys.

As they pulled up on scene, Mercedes looked up. It was a 4 story building, all engulfed with flames flashing out the windows. "This is bad, bad, bad." Mercedes heard one of her men say and she nodded in agreement, it wasn't good. As the Engine, Ambulance, and Squad arrived on scene everyone wasted no time in getting things going.

A woman came running up to Mercedes "Please you gotta help me, my son he's only 10 he was playing in his room when I left to go to the store around the corner for just a second. I haven't seen him! Please you gotta find him!"

She was in a panic, Mercedes placed her hand on her shoulder, "Miss it's okay, we'll find him. What floor was he on?" She asked.

"The third floor, apartment number 302. Please go save him."

Mercedes and the new candidate both got an SCBA on, as Mercedes quickly instructed her men on what jobs to do. There was going to be two groups of two from Truck going in as all of the Squad was already in, but the building was so massive that they needed help. The two firefighters went in without looking back, making their way to the stairwell they found it mostly untouched by the fire, which was a good thing. Making their way up to the third floor they searched every apartment, finding a few people here and there. Mercedes looked up the smoke was growing blacker, which wasn't a good sign. She looked at the candidate. "Go, get these people out, I'm going to find the boy."

The candidate nodded, and started down the stairs with the people. Mercedes went into 302 and found it covered in flames, "Fire Department! Call out!" She yelled, and within seconds she could hear a faint cry. Running to the cry she opened the closet door and found a the boy, his face was coated black, and he was coughing uncontrollably, from the smoke inhalation. Mercedes also noticed burns on his arms where he'd gotten too close to the fire. Without thinking twice she removed her air pack and shrugged her jacket off, wrapping the boy in it as she picked him up.

"Battalion Chief 42 to Truck 105 Lieutenant Edwards! Report!" She heard the chief loud and clear in the radio.

"Lieutenant Edwards reporting everyone clear on the third floor coming down with the last victim now." She hurried down the steps and just as she was exiting the building the fire caused an explosion that if she was one second later would have costed her and this little boys life.

The paramedics and mother ran to her side, as she laid the boy down on the yellow striker stretcher, as he was immediately placed on a non rebreather. The mother hugged her tightly "Thank you! Thank you!" Before she ran off to be with her son. Mercedes smiled, this is why she loved her job. he loved helping people, she loved reuniting mothers with their sons and saving people from what most would think of as certain death.

Awhile later, after the fire was out and everything was packed up they made their way back to the station, just as she was getting out of her gear and switching back into her duty boots, her cell phone rang. Pulling out the white iPhone 5 she saw Heathers name and a picture of her and Andy come up, she pressed the talk button and could hear Heather's sobs.

"Hello? Hey Heather what's wrong?" She asked, worry taking her over, it wasn't like her best friends wife to break down like this.

"Mercedes! It's Andy..I just got the call. He's…..He's….Gone." She sobbed uncontrollably.

Mercedes couldn't believe what she was hearing, Andrew Darden, her best friend since Kindergarden, the person she vented too, the one guy she knew would always have her back was dead. "But..How?" Was all she could manage to say.

"I'm not sure…A..A fire flashed, he was inside."

That was even worse, a flashover is no laughing matter and it kills thousands of firefighters a year. Burning to death, being killed by the one thing you're suppose to protect other people from. It wasn't like Mercedes to openly cry, but tears started streaming down her face gaining her worried and concerned looks from the guys.

"Don't worry..I'm on my way." And with that she hung up, clocked out, and went home to pack. She couldn't believe that she was going back to Chicago after six years of being away. Besides Andy, one person came to her mind, but she pushed the thought away. She wasn't going back for Kelly Severide. She was going back to bury her best friend then she would return here, her home, where they accepted the fact she was a firefighter, and a lieutenant at that.


End file.
